Machine for popping corn



July 26, 1932. E, KNOTT 1,868,578

MACHINE FOR POPPING CORN Fi led Jan. 26, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet l July 26, 1932. l E R KNQTT 1,868,578

MCHINE FOR POPPING CORN Filed Jan. 26, 1951 4 sheet-sheet 2 July 26, 1932. E, R KNOTT 1,868,578

MACHINE FOR POPPING CORN Filed Jan. 26, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 l July 26, 1932. E. R. KNoTT MACH'INE FOR POPPING CORN Filed Jan. 26, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented July 26, 1932 EUSTACE R. KNOTT, OF SHARON, MASSACHUSETTS MACHINE Eon POPPING conn Application sied January 2e, i931. serial N9'. 511,189.

This invention relatesto machines for popping corn, and has particularv reference to that type of machine which is automatically supplied with a succession of charges of unpoppedcorn, and subjects the corn to heat, and automatically separates the popped corn from the un-popped corn and delivers the two grades at separate points.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a corn popping machine which'is not only simple in construction and operation, but also maybe easily cleaned.

kAnother object is to provide a corn popping machine which produces a greater percentage of poppedcornthan heretofore.

Another object is to provide a corn pop- .ping machine which .operatesat a higher speed of production than heretofore.

And other'objects are to provide corn popi pingmachines in which clogging will not occur, and which produce popped corn of largesize, and. during a minimum of time, and with a minimum amount'of waste.

I attain practically all of the *above-men# tioned objects by employing a continuous currentl of air` to remove the popped corn from the machine, and my invention consists inthe construction and combination of parts substantially as hereinafter described vand claimed. c

- 'Of the accompanying drawings Figure 1 ,is a side yelevation ofone of my improvedmachines.

, Figure 2 represents a section on line 2 2 of Figures 1 and 3. f l vFigure 3 represents a section on line 3 3 of Figure 2. l i

Figure 4 represents a of Figure 1.

Figure -represents a section on line 5 5 ofFigure4. H'

Figure 6 is a detailelevation of a portion of the' chainzof buckets, 'cna larger scale. f'

section on line 4 4 Similar reference characters designate.y

similar parts vor features 'inall of the views.

Ithe head 17 of a rotary foraminous or'wire mesh cylinder 16, said heads 17 having hub vmembers 18, 19, which are suitably connected to the opposite ends of an axial tube 20 the projecting ends of which are mounted in bearings 21 ysupported by a suitable frame which is illustrated as comprising cross bars 22, u

longitudinal bars 23, and one or more posts Secured to the hub 18 is a sprocket 25 (Figs. 1 and 3) which is connected by a chain 26 with a sprocket 27 of the shaft 28, the latter being geared by bevel pinions 29, 30, to the shaft 31 which is'connected by a belt 32 with the shaft of a motor 33.

A blower 34 is driven from the shaft 31 by a belt or chain 35. Thenozzle of said blower delivers astrong current of air into and through the tube 2O which latter constitutes an elongated chamber for receiving the corn as it is popped, as hereinafter described. At the other end of the shaft 28 is a sprocket which is connected by a chain 36 with a sprocket -of a short shaft 37 (Figs. 1 and 4). Engaging the said sprocketof the shaft 37, and another sprocket at one side thereof, is a chain 38 carrying buckets 39, the chain and buckets also passing around a lower idle sprocket 40. All three of said sprocket-s, and the chain and its buckets, are enclosed in a chamber 41 outside of the main casing 12.

A hopper y42 to receive the ycorn, to be popped, communicates by means of an openv ing 43 with the lower portion of the chamber 41.

In operation, the buckets 39 successively lift small quantities of the corn and discharge it into an inclined chute 44 the delivery end of which is in a position so that each time the curved elongatedopening or throat 45 in the head 17 passes said chute, the corn that was deposited in the chute' by a passing bucket V39 will Vpass into the rotating wire-mesh cyl- Vinder 16. The spacingof the bucketsv of the chain, and the speed of travel of said chain and the speed of rotation of the cylinder are so relatively timed asV to cause each bucket to deliver un-popped corn into the chute so that it'can pass from thechute while the opening f or throat 45 is passing the chute.

J ust inside the endor head 17 which has the curvedl opening 45, is a spiral strip 46 'j (Fign) carried by the rotating cylinder 16,

and'at separated points toward the other end of the cylinderare incompleteannular strips 47. By incomplete, I mean that there is a space 48 (Fig. 2) between the two ends of eachstrip47. Q-

vBelow the cylinder 16, I provide a plurality `of lindependent gas burners 49"(Figs- 2;'and

3)' each having an independent controllable. gas supply by a. system of piping 50.' I havey found in practice that by employing separate heaters ot which the first vapplies the highest temperature and the other Ysucc'essimely; lower,

amable Vto produce cornwhich is popped to larger `sizes than when the saine.y degree of `heatis applied throughout; ,Y It isto be under--Y lstood at this point that during the operation Vofthe machin ethe corn which isbeing heatf ,edgis workingfralong the cylinder from the right-hand. end. (-Figs 1 and toward, the

left;

During the operation, as presently described, all` of the cornin the cylinder, whether popped..or1 iot,.is. gradually' worked along by the ineomngsupplyand the'spir-al n' y4.6, and the; 11n-poppedcorn/eventually esf- V capeszthroughtheopeninglr. (Fig. 3), and

a spout 52 into any suitable. meceptacle.v Tolift thepoppedcorn and cause it toget .into they elongated' axialV chamber 20,y I pro# vide the; foraminous tscreen v53 which. is. .of vvcoarser. mesh than. the cylinder lso'that. if

any .un-popped *corn shc'iuldy be lifted, it. will fall back through themeshes of said screen 53;l Said screenfextendsrronioneendgwall 17 n to the other endtwall (.Fi'g); and-atitsinner edge54 :(Fig; 2)."'isfconnected to the tube. 20 'adacent to' the slot in said tube, ysaid slot `55k being. of substantially the. sameflength as the. tube; An edge'i of? the: tube. along' one side of Vthe slotigfbent inwardly.. VThe. outer edge57-. o the litt-,ing 'screen' has a plate 58 secured to it, the opposite edge 5920i. said uplate beingsecuredl to the mesh cylinder 16.

The 'endV of thetuhe 20 opposite the blower extends. into Va Ldelivery Vspout 60 (Figf 3) is securedy to. the adjacent bearing 21 and is'non-rotary, said spout being somewhat .angular `in form sothat peppedeeorn blown .throughff'the V.tube20f willy be` directedl into a suitable.receiver litFi-gf. 1). I A

i. A.. rsum oi the operation Vofthe machine as 1a.. `whole will-new be giyeniH-A large-quan# of.. cor-.mto be pppediliayingf deposy itedi-nthehoppen42,1; smaller quantity of it is constantly maintained inthe bottom of the chamber 41, Vand the chain buckets successively lift practically measured quantities of it and each bucket empties itscorn into the chute 44`in time for that corn to pass through the curvedthroat 45 into the revolving cylinder 16. In other words, the cylinder receives one bucketful of corn during each of its rotations. Q Due to the spiral strip 46, and the successive deposits-of corn in the cylinder, the corn gradually moves-toward theother end of the cylinder andfallof it which is'capable of being popped by the heat fromA the burners is lifted by the inner screen 53 and Veventually passes into Ythe tube20 through its lslot 55. Of course, some un-popped vcorn is also liftedgbut'owing to the larger meshes of the liftingr screemitescapes back into the outer space in the f cylinder ,i and is either f iinally popped-or escapes through the. opening 51.'

, Thepopped cornwhich1passes-into thetube y 20 is 'immediately' forced by thercurrenttof air vfrom theV blower out through the spout. 60. lIf Yanythingoccursto cause a stoppage oit-the flow of popped kernels along the tube, the inwardly eXtendingledge-i ('Fig; 2) tends to stir up the kernels in the tube andi direct them along totheescapeend. f

In practfice,.tov enable the machinefto be i.

readily. cleaned,.one:of the endsor heads 17 is removablyfsecuredf--in imposition, by devices not necessary to illustrate in detailpsince such'deyices may berof any well; known type.

Having` now described my` invention, I claim-: 1U i l .V

l-.A corn-popping machineV having a straight slottedftubelfreely open atbothends, andv a rotary foraminous cylinder surrounding the tube, ablower 4crV forcing airthrough 'the tube,rmeans'for heating corn in said lcylinder` and meansv for causingz popped corn to pass fromithecylinder throughthe slot of and into f saidtube, said' tube having' no openings other thansaid. slot and open ends.

2. 'A corn-popping machine having a. longit'udinallyslotteditube freelyopen at both ends and being". otherwise'imperforate, a rotary foraminous Ycylinderj surrounding the tube, a blower for forcing air through `the tube, means for heating corn in the cylinder,

vand an inner foraminous' screen connecting the said cylinder with an edge'of'theslot in the-.tube to causepopped corn-'to pass: from the cylinder intosaid tube. T

3. In a corn-poppingv machine, the combination with a rotarv cvlinder and means' for heating corn therein, said Vcylinder including an end head haying a curved slot, of-an end- Iessseries Vof buckets, a" cornreceptable `from which the buckets take unfpopped corn, a

ychute for' receiving` corn fromthefbuckets and-,delivering said corn" through-'said' slot into' thel cvlin'der.- and means' Vfor driving the rotary cylinder and thesaid series of buckets in timed relationship to cause each bucket to deliver its corn to and through said chute "While said eurved'slot is passing the chute.

4. A corn-popping machine having a rtary foraminous cylinder, means for automatically delivering measured quantities of 11n-popped corn thereinto, means for heating the corn in the Cylinder, an unobstructed subl stantially imperforate tube extending lengthl0 Wise of the cvlinder. means for causing popped corn to enter vsaid tube, and a blower for ejecting said corn from the tube.

V In ytestimony whereof I have affixed my signature. 5 EUSTACE R. KNOTT. 

